Our Lady of La Salette (Notre-Dame de La Salette) is a Marian apparition reported by two French children, Maximin Giraud and Mélanie Calvat, to have occurred at La Salette-Fallavaux, France, in 1846. On 19 September 1851, the local bishop formally approved the public devotion and prayers to Our Lady of La Salette. On 21 August 1879, Pope Leo XIII granted a cano...

Manger Square is a focal point for all of the Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem, with a giant Christmas tree crowning the square. It is the traditional spot where locals and pilgrims sing Christmas carols before the midnight mass at the Church of the Nativity. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Armenian Apostolic Church follow the Julian Calendar l...

A Greek Orthodox church on the south coast of Crete, near Loutro.

Famadihana is a funerary tradition of the Malagasy people in Madagascar. Known as the turning of the bones, people bring forth the bodies of their ancestors from the family crypts and rewrap them in fresh cloth, then dance with the corpses around the tomb to live music. The Famadihana custom appears to be a custom of somewhat recent origin, perhaps only since the...

Gatotkaca Temple is one of the Hindu temples located in the Dieng Plateau , in the Banjarnegara Regency , Central Java Province . This temple is located west of the Arjuna Temple Complex , on the side of the road towards Bima Temple , opposite the Dieng Kailasa Museum . The name Gatotkaca itself was given by the residents by taking the name of the puppet character fro...

The Jewish Festival of Light is a beautiful time to visit Israel. For eight nights, Jews light a candle in a special lamp of eight candles, called a menorah, to remember the miracle. In most city centres, there are candle-lighting services and bakeries are stocked full of doughnuts of all varieties. Shops and businesses are open throughout Hanukkah.

Holi is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus. It is primarily observed in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka. The most celebrated Holi is that of the Braj region, in locations connected to the Lord Krishna: Mathura, Vrindavan, Nandagaon, and Barsana. These places have become tourist destinations during the festive season of Holi, which lasts here up to sixteen days. ...

BarsanaorVarsanais a town and a nagar panchayat in the Mathura district of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is a village near Mathura. Stories from the Hindu tradition relating to the deity, Krishna indicate that his favorite gopi, known as Radha, spent her childhood in Barsana. The town is thus a site of pilgrimage for many followers of Vaishnavism, and especial...

Mathurais a city in the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located approximately 50 km north of Agra. Mathura is the birthplace of Lord Krishna at the centre of Braj or Brij-bhoomi, called Shri Krishna Janma-Bhoomi, literally: 'Lord Krishna's birth place'. The Keshav Dev temple was built in ancient times on the site of Krishna's legendary birthplace (an under...

Vrindavanis a town in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is the site of an ancient forest which is the region where Lord Krishna spent his childhood days. The town is about 15 km away from Mathura, the city of Lord Krishna's birthplace, near the Agra-Delhi highway. The town hosts hundreds of temples dedicated to the worship of Radha and Krishna and is c...

Joel Scott Osteen (born March 5, 1963) is an American preacher, televangelist, author, and the Senior Pastor of Lakewood Church, the largest Protestant church in the United States, in Houston, Texas. His televised sermons are seen by over 7 million broadcast media viewers weekly and over 20 million monthly in over 100 countries. Osteen has written five New York Times ...

Kraków szopka, or nativity scene, is a Christmas tradition originating from Kraków, Poland, and dating back to the 19th century. An unusual and characteristic feature of the szopka is the use of historical buildings of Kraków as backdrop for the Nativity of Jesus. Nativity scenes, common in Christian cultures, originated with St. Francis of Assisi...

Kumbh Mela is a mass Hindu pilgrimage in which Hindus gather at the Ganges and river Godavari, where bathing for purification from sin is considered especially efficacious. The Ardh (half) Kumbh Mela is celebrated every six years at Haridwar and Allahabad, the Purna (complete) Kumbh takes place every twelve years, at four places Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nashik...

During La Crépissage, residents of Djenné, Mali, work together to repair and rebuild the Grand Mosque, the world’s largest mud-brick structure. It occurs each April in an epic one-day event called La Crépissage (The Plastering). The night before the rebuilding, the town hums with anticipation and villagers take part in a carnival of singing ...

Every year, in October, hundreds of thousands of faithful from all races and economic backgrounds celebrate the Lord of Miracles in a religious procession through the streets of Lima. The boulevards are dressed in purple to celebrate on October 18, 19 and 28th Lord of Miracles his annual procession through the streets of Lima. Lord of Miracles (Señor de los Mil...